Category Archives: Exhibitions

Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) has announced that it is primed to host a very busy events season with its venues to be fully occupied by major local and international events before the end of this year, with more than 50 exhibitions and conferences across key sectors including culture, healthcare, leisure, lifestyle, and business. Humaid Matar Al Dhaheri, Group CEO of ADNEC, said, “ADNEC seeks to strengthen Abu Dhabi’s position as the capital of business tourism sector in the region, by attracting major international events to the Emirate. We have completed all preparations needed to host more than 50 major and international events before the end of 2018, which is a confirmation of our success in this field. ADNEC’s workforce, led by a group of highly skilled professional national talents, have worked on developing a wide range of programs aimed at attracting exhibitors and international associations. The coming season will witness exhibitions and conferences hosted and organized for the first time, in accordance with the key sectors identified by the Abu Dhabi plan and the Emirate’s vision 2030.” Al Dhaheri noted ADNEC’s keenness to continue developing infrastructure for all its local and international venues, making all efforts needed to enhance customer satisfaction and exceed the expectations of events organizers and local and international visitors, while conforming to the highest international standards in this competitive sector. He also commended the efforts of the government and private sectors partners, especially the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism and the Abu Dhabi Convention Bureau, as well as exhibition organisers and representatives of local and international professional associations.

The second edition of the Arabian Travel Awards has received a record number of entrants from various regions in the Middle East. The event will be held on September 20 in Dubai.  Arabian Travel Awards is a platform for the Middle East market to appreciate the efforts of the travel specialists who have contributed to the booming travel and hospitality industry. The aim is to encourage them to continue promoting tourism in the region especially as all roads are set and ready for the Expo 2020 and beyond. The Arabian Travel Awards are fair and unbiased, following a systematic method of internet-based voting. These awards are supported by TravelTV.news, TravTalk Middle East and TravTalk India who are premier media partners for the coverage of the event. The awards will be divided into four categories: Personal Awards, Business Awards, Trending Awards and Partner Awards. They will include awards for Best Business Hotel, Best Family Friendly Hotel, Best City Hotel, Best Green Hotel, Best Leisure Hotel, Best Destination Management Company, Best Hotel Apartments, Best B2B Travel Portal, and Best Luxury Hotel to name a few.

The second edition of the Travel Tech Middle East Congress (TTME) will be held at The H Dubai from September 26-27. “TTME’s agenda is replete with relevant topics and presentations, with top industrial leaders on board to present and speak, we are very thrilled to host this congress next month. This event is set to make a tremendous impact for the travel technology in Middle East and Verve Management is set to be there to provide this platform for all interested organisations looking to invest in Middle East region and learn about the market”, says a team member of Verve Management. Verve Management is delighted to have Albert Fernando (Travelwings), Albert Dias (Musafir), Matthew Sliedrecht (Cleartrip.com), Brett Henry (Travel Daily) and Andrew Pearson (Intelligencia Ltd.) on-board to present on the evolution of metasearch for travel & tourism, leveraging data-driven insights in corporate travel, top traveller behaviour trends, Travel Marketing and Artificial Intelligence at TTME 2018, respectively. Another additional panel which has recently been added on the agenda is the “Industry challenges for travel start-ups to solve” with confirmed speakers like, Diego Lofeudo (Sr. Executive Digital Expert & Former member of Expedia Leadership Team EMEA), and Vineet Budki (Guiddoo Worldwide) joining the panel. Vineet is also taking up a presentation on bitcoin for the travel industry. TTME Speakers will also include: Geet Bhalla (HolidayME), Nabil El Shafeay (Visit &Go), Paulina Klotzbucher (Travelstart), Haitham Abdel Baki (Millennium & Copthorne Hotels), Mamoun Hmedan (Wego), Sameer Bagul (Cleartrip.com) Anna Trushkina (Wego), Philip Jones (Movenpick Hotel Jumeirah Beach) and Stephen Meredith (Steigenberger Hotels & Resorts).

Recognising the key players in the industry, the second edition of the Arabian Travel Awards will take stage on 20th September 2018 at JW Marriott Hotel in Deira, Dubai. The much awaited successful black tie event from Durga Das Publications (fze) invites all trade partners to be part of this exciting evening. Nikhil Jeet, convener of the awards states that this year’s nomination is still available for voting online. All the information regarding nominations is on the website— www.arabiantravelawards.ae. To nominate, one can go to the nomination page, where there are categories and sub-categories. Select the right option, fill the form and send it in. There will be a confirmation email with a voting link sent across. Some of the criteria for nomination includes; All entries must be travel and tourism products that serve the public or the industry, Your business is eligible to enter if it has been operational in its recent form for at least 12 months at the time of applying, Any entrants for New Hotel or New Resort categories will be eligible to enter if, at the time of applying, they opened within the past 12 months, If your entry relates to a specific project, it must have been completed and fully implemented at the time of applying, Any internet or technology products must have been operational for at least 12 months at the time of applying. Arabian Travel Awards supports, promotes and develops the Middle East Travel and Hospitality industry by identifying and rewarding excellence and inspiring its practitioners to continuously raise the standards of their product and service offering and there by taking Middle East Tourism and hospitality industry to the next level.

Second edition of Luxury Outbound Travel Market will take centre stage on September 6, 2018 at Sheraton Hotel and resorts Abu Dhabi organised by Luxury Connections partnered by Rwanda Tourism and RwandAir with exclusive media partnership by Travtalk Middle East, Tourism breaking news and Travel TV. News. Over 120 decision makers from the leading outbound travel companies of UAE will come together for a powerful day of networking. Among the tourism boards in attendance this year will be Turkey, Thailand, Seychelles and Zimbabwe with hotels from Georgia, hospitality partnership by Raviz Center Point hotel Dubai, event Production partnership by Purple MICE events , transportation partnerships with TLS Limousine and Koi Ride along with Oman insurance as the assurance partner and Hamdan Gallery . Aiming at the outbound travel destinations for 2019, the event promises a wide range of participation this year from Georgia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Azerbaijan. Leading DMCs like Canvas Travels from Georgia, DerTour – Azerbaijan, Southern Breeze – Vietnam are the ones to look out for this year. This year’s event will commence from 2.30pm with registration after which b2b meetings of TOP UAE agents will take place followed by an exclusive presentation by RwandAir and Rwanda Tourism to the buyers . The event will conclude with a Gala dinner which will further enhance networking opportunities between buyers and sellers. Transport for travel agents can be requested to Abu Dhabi from Dubai and return; more details can be obtained by calling the organiser Mario Anthony on 052 3890592 or email mario@luxuryconnectionsdubai.com

ITB Asia is set to focus on the US$180 billion Muslim travel market this year as it  partners with key experts, CrescentRating and Halal Trip, for the third edition of the Halal in Travel Asia Summit. ITB Asia is launching a newly dedicated Muslim Travel Hub and Pavilion to host panel discussions from October 17-19, 2018 at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Marina Bay Sands. By 2020, it is expected that there will be 156 million Muslim travellers, growing nearly 30% since 2016. Muslim travel is thus an important focus for ITB Asia this year as key players in the travel and tourism space are demanding insights and best practice in marketing destinations. The third Halal in Travel Asia Summit on October 17 will focus on the  key theme of ‘Innovation  & Technology in the Muslim Travel Space’. The conference will kick off with the official release of the Mastercard-Halal Trip Digital Muslim  Travel Report (DMTR) 2018, revealing the latest insights and in-depth analysis into  the Muslim travel market and behaviours when it comes to trip planning research and engagement in the digital space. For the three full days, the dedicated Muslim Travel Hub will offer panels, showcases and important discussions on Halal travel. Key topics covered include how to attract  Muslim travellers to destinations throughout  the year, how to further develop the growing Muslim travel market and develop Muslim-friendly travel packages.

Millions of visitors to Expo 2020 Dubai, including global leaders, will enjoy world class hospitality after organisers unveiled Dubai-based Emaar Hospitality Group as its new official partner. Emaar Hospitality will provide authentic experiences with a strong local flavour at various locations across the Expo 2020 site, including VIP clubs and lounges, as well as in its hotels and restaurants in Dubai. As the Official Hotel and Hospitality Partner, Emaar Hospitality Group will be responsible for providing exceptional service to Expo 2020’s special ticket holders. The Group will also operate a number of other experiences across the Expo site. In addition, Emaar Hospitality Group will showcase trends and innovations in the hospitality industry. Rolando Martins, Chief Visitor Experience Officer, Expo 2020 Dubai, welcomed the partnership as a key element in providing millions of visitors to the Expo with an exceptional experience, as well as an opportunity to leave a lasting legacy for UAE tourism. “The hospitality experience at Expo 2020 is an opportunity to showcase this important aspect of the Emirati identity and culture. Emaar Hospitality Group has a record of warmly welcoming millions of visitors to Dubai every year – many of whom return again and again, which makes them the ideal hospitality partner. Emaar Hospitality Group will continue to provide an exceptional hospitality experience that wows all of Expo 2020’s visitors, including world leaders, encouraging them to return to Dubai and the UAE, creating long-lasting benefits for the entire tourism industry.”

The second annual event of the Verve Travel Tech Middle East Congress will be held from September 26–27, 2018 with exclusive media partnership with Travtalk Middle East, Tourism Breaking News and Travel TV. The Travel Tech Middle East congress will focus on data insights and technology. There will be presentations on top traveller behaviour trends to watch by airlines, hoteliers & OTA’s, travel tech trends to watch, current & future, travel marketing in 2018, Artificial Intelligence: future of customer engagement & travel experience, alternative accommodation models and the future of hotels, future of bitcoin and blockchain: how will it revolutionize the travel industry, connectedness & use of technology amongst older persons and a lot more trending topics! Sabah Parvez, the Managing Director of Verve Management UAE, “These are exciting times for the Middle East region as we gear up for the World 2020 Expo in Dubai, an event that has generated an estimated $50 billion in direct and indirect investments, with $8 billion being allocated to transport and infrastructure projects alone, according to the Gulf Business news. We believe that this will generate business for the travel & tourism industry and will only keep getting bigger. This is a good time to invest in the Middle East market and travel as an industry will be one of the main benefactor as it will play a major role not only for the expo but tourism point of view as well.”

The second edition of Outbound Travel Events (OTE) organised by Luxury Connections with exclusive media partnership with Travtalk Middle East, tourismbreakingnews.ae and Travel TV.News will take place at the Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel and Resort on September 6, 2018. The inaugural sessions last year saw a great turn out of agents from all emirates making it a sounding success. This year for the second edition new partners will be joining aboard and will be announced very soon. Come summer every year, every agent in all emirates and Middle East in general seek new destinations to explore so that their clientele will not only be able to witness varied locations but also ensure that some of the most important “bucket list” sites are covered in the long run. This event is soon becoming an important networking platform for agents from all emirates as they are given the opportunity to connect on, one on one basis with destinations, properties, attractions etc from Europe, Asia, Americas etc. This preparation for summer next year is an absolute necessity especially given the fact that next year the Eid holidays will be very much towards the end of spring paving way for the travellers to have a much longer vacation. The person behind the event Mario Anthony and the luxury connections team stated that they have already received a very good response for the event and expect a very good participation. Anthony said, “We are very excited about the second edition of the outbound travel bazaar in Abu Dhabi. After the successful event last year in Abu Dhabi, we expect this year to have more participants and partners from all seven emirates during this day.”

The first Global Investment in Aviation Summit (GIAS), set to be held in Dubai, will host over 500 top aviation asset managers, aircraft lessors, investors, airlines, aircraft manufacturers, maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities, aviation logistics suppliers and fixed-base operators (FBOs). The delegates from 40 countries will include 20 aviation ambassadors, 10 knowledge partners, 200 aviation officials and 300 investors brainstorming throughout the three days. The conference will take place as the UAE authorities are investing Dh85 billion ($23.16 billion) in airport development and expansion that will see its airports handle develop combined capacity to handle more than 300 million passengers per year. “Our airlines and airports have been ranking consistently as among the best internationally. On compliance level, UAE ranked as a top member state of the International Civil Aviation Organisation. GIAS is UAE’s testament of our commitment to push the nation to be a global pioneer in this field. The glass ceiling is not too high to break as we have mounted unimaginable innovations,” said HE Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi, Director-General, UAE General Civil Aviation Authority.